Moments In Time
by Kamari Turen
Summary: Invaders from a distant land destroy the Shinobi World. Ten years later Naruto and the other survivors decide to go back in time and save the ones they love.
1. Prologue: The Great War

**Prologue- The Great War**

The war had been raging for nearly six years and much of the Shinobi world had been destroyed. The invaders had attacked without warning, catching all of the hidden villages off guard. No one had been prepared for the swift and brutal battle techniques of the invaders or for their alien technology and powers. Even with the combined power of all the villages, the invaders had swept across the land destroying everything that stood in their way. Ninja had died in droves trying to protect their villages and their families, and there were very few left. Of those that remained, fewer still were fully qualified to handle such combat, and ever day more of them were lost.

By now only eight remained and virtually all hope had been lost. The world was doomed and all the people could do was watch it happen.

Naruto Uzumaki stood facing the single most terrifying army he had ever seen. On his right stood Sasuke Uchiha, his best friend and master of the Sharingan. On his left stood Hinata Hyuga, mistress of the Gentle Fist and his wife of four years. On Sasuke's right stood Naruto's other best friend, Sakura Haruno, the greatest medical nin the world had ever known. Behind them, stood Naruto's old sensei, Kakashi Hatake, the legendary copy ninja, Hinata's cousin Neji Hyuga, master of the 64 Palms, Shikamaru Nara, the master strategist, and Anko Mitirashi, the so called snake lady. These eight were all that stood between the enemy and the total destruction of their world. Unfortunately, things were not looking good at the moment.

"Well here we are, the end of the world." Naruto mused, staring intently at the massive enemy soldier in front of him.

"If we have to go out, at least we'll go out fighting." said Sasuke, with a smile.

Naruto nodded, glad to have his best friend fighting beside him again. "Let's do this." With that, Naruto charged forward, charging up his Rasengan as he did so. He drilled the ball of chakra into the enemy soldier's chest, sending him flying, a large hole in the man's chest. Around him he caught glimpses of the others as the launched their attacks. Kakashi cleaved an enemy in half with his Lightning Blade, while Sasuke caught another with his Chidori. Neji moved so fast, Naruto was barely able to see him and Sakura took down one enemy after another with her superhuman strength. Hinata focused on providing protection to her friends and Shikamaru seamlessly maneuvered his shadow technique, weaving it in and out amongst the enemies. Anko hurled several kunai with exploding tags on them, blowing several enemies sky high in the process.

As the battle progressed however, the tide began to turn against the ninja. An enemy soldier broke through the ranks, hurling a small claw shaped device at Hinata.

"Hinata, look out." Naruto shouted, running towards her. Hinata turned a second to late and the device hit her square in the back, injecting the poison contained within it into her body.

"HINATA!" Naruto screamed, as Hinata froze, her body seizing up as the poison rushed through her system. Naruto caught her before she hit the ground, but it was already to late. Naruto had seen this poison before and knew that there was no way to stop it. He held Hinata close, her body trembling as the poison finished its job. She looked up into Naruto's eyes, raising her hand to his face as she did. "N-Naruto-kun..." she whispered, before going limp, her life leaving her. Naruto held Hinata's body a moment longer before lying it down.

He stood and turned back towards the battle just in time to see a massive enemy warrior drill Sasuke in the head with a powerful shot that threw the last remaining Uchiha backwards. "SASUKE!" Naruto screamed, diving for his friend, hurling a Rasengan at the warrior as he did. He caught Sasuke, who immediately looked at him.

"Take care of Sakura, Naruto." Sasuke breathed. "Promise me you will take care of her."

Naruto nodded and Sasuke also went limp, his life leaving him as well. Naruto stared at his best friend for a moment before carrying him to Hinata. He knelt down next to Hinata's body and pulled both of them close. For a moment, the battlefield was still and silent as Naruto held the bodies of two of three people he cared about most. Tears stung his eyes and rolled down his face, splashing onto the cold bodies in his arms. And then, the red chakra of the kyuubi began to leak out of his body.

Naruto stood, looking at his other remaining friends, his blue eyes now the red color of death. He smiled a twisted, demonic smile and turned to face the enemy army.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura asked, advancing towards him. Kakashi held out his hand to stop her, giving her a serious look.

"No Sakura, let him go." Kakashi whispered. "Naruto knows what he's doing."

Naruto stopped a few feet from the enemy line, the warrior who had killed Sasuke standing only inches from him. Naruto smiled again and then unleashed the full power of the kyuubi. The enemy soldiers screamed in terror, but it was too late. There was no escaping this. The other ninja felt the concussive force of the blast and Naruto watched the enemy begin to burn. He laughed at their pain and then everything went black.


	2. Ten Years Later

Naruto jerked awake, stifling a scream as he did. He had had the nightmare again, the one that always reminded him he was alone in the world. He didn't understand why his mind had to keep taking him back to that horrible day, it wasn't like the memory wasn't already burned into his brain. It seemed as though the universe was having a constant laugh at his expense and it annoyed him to no end. Why couldn't the cosmos just leave him alone, hadn't he endured enough pain already? Naruto had no answers and it seemed he never would. He wished Kakashi or Jiraiya was around. They could answer his questions for sure. But he would never see them again, never hear their words of wisdom, or know the comfort of their support. They were gone, like everyone else Naruto had ever cared about, their lives had been extinguished by the war with the invaders.

The invaders were a people from some far distant land who called themselves the Har'nal. Naruto preferred to call them "the bastards who destroyed my life." He supposed that probably wasn't the best name to give them, seeing as he was the only qualified Shinobi left, but he didn't much care. The Har'nal had taken everything from him, so they could go ahead and try to fight him. With any luck they'd send him to his friends. Naruto's view of the Har'nal hadn't always been so negative. In fact, when they had first appeared on the boarders of the Shinobi lands, he had scoffed at the thought of them becoming a threat. Looking back on it now, he should have taken the treat more seriously. Perhaps if he had the others would still be alive.

Naruto shook his head and stood, stretching to ease the tension in his back. Sleeping on the cold hard pavement of the Konoha sewers was not exactly the most comfortable activity in the world. Unfortunately it was the only place Naruto had left. In the ten years since the war had ended, the Har'nal had completely rebuilt the Shinobi world, remaking everything in their image. Their central citadel sat on top of the ruins of Konoha, and though he hadn't seen them, Naruto knew there were several more citadels scattered about the world. He knew that their primary religious center stood in the Valley of the End. Naruto wondered, for the hundredth time, what Sasuke would think if he knew his family's valley was now a Har'nal religious center.

Sighing as the thought of his best friend past from his mind, Naruto looked around his small, cramped quarters, trying to find a shirt and something to eat. After a moment of searching he found a shirt, but no food. "Damn it!" he growled, his shoulders sagging. He hated running out of food, as it meant he had to surface and see the world that was once his. But he needed food and the only way to get it was to go up.

Growling to himself, Naruto gathered up the few kunai he had and made his way to the hatch that lead to the surface. Cautiously, he pushed the hatch open and poked his head out, his blue eyes scanning his surroundings. Finding the coast clear, he slowly and silently slide out of the hatch and made his way down the deserted street. He had to be careful, Har'nal soldiers patrolled the streets constantly, and he had already had a couple of close calls. Fortunately for him it was night, and the soldiers did not patrol this area much at night. Hopefully he would be able to find some food in this side of the ruins and save himself the trouble of crossing town.

As he moved silently down the street, Naruto glanced at the citadel, it's glossy black spires standing in stark contrast to the purple night sky. He paused for a moment, the sky reminding him of Hinata. Purple had always been the color he associated most with Hinata and the color of the sky mirrored almost perfectly the color of her hair. Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts, he could not afford to stand here gawking. He continued on his way, finding some relativity fresh food moments later. Grinning as he carried his haul back to his hiding place, Naruto could not help thinking what Choji would have said about this food. For some reason, he had a feeling Choji would be proud of this haul, but seeing as it was food, that wasn't hard to believe.

Once he was back in his hiding place, Naruto sat and ate, his mind wandering back to the war. He did not usually allow himself to think about the war, but tonight he was feeling particularly reminiscent. His mind brought him images of the people he had lost. Hinata, the person he loved more than anyone on earth. Sasuke, his best friend and greatest rival. Sakura, his foundation, who kept him firmly on the ground. Gaara, the man who, more than anyone else, knew the pain Naruto had suffered as a child. Kakashi and Jiraiya, who had taught him everything he knew. And all the others, Choji, Ino, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Anko, Tsunade, Shizune, Sai, Yamato, Zabuza, Haku, Asuma, Kurenai, Guy, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Temari, Kankuro, Iruka, and others who's names he could not remember. It was a moment before Naruto realized he was crying. He had not thought about most of these people in months, and seeing their faces now reminded him just how much had lost. He did not know what was worse for him, the fact that he had lost them all or the fact that he had been responsible for some of their deaths.

Again, his mind traveled back to the day the war ended. Naruto shook as he remembered the blast of chakra he had emitted. He knew Sakura, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Neji, and Anko had died in that blast, there was no way they could have survived. It was only because of dumb luck that he had survived. He had held on to a small shred of hope for the first year or two after the war, but it had been ten, and if any of them were alive they wouldn't have stayed away for this long. It was this that crushed him most and it was this that fueled his desire to find a way to fix the world, to undo the mistakes and get back the people he loved.

No longer hungry, Naruto decided to try and get some sleep. As he lay down on his pile of dirty blankets, he thought about ways to get them back. Unknown to him, scattered around the world, there were five others who were thinking the exact same thing.

**A/N: I should point out, because I forgot too on the last chapter, that this story is pretty much AU. That's why people like Zabuza and Haku were alive for the war. If you're wondering about Asuma and Jiraiya, the war took place before the points in the actual story where they died. I decided to this because it was the only way I could justify haveing such a strong enemy. I had to have as many characters as possible alive at the start of the war to give the ninja a fighting chance. Also, I don't own Naruto, obviously, I'm simply "playing with the characters" as my good buddy Fluxblade puts it. Now that that's cleared up I hope you enjoy.**


	3. The Six Who Survived, pt1

Naruto awoke after several hours feeling like he hadn't gotten much sleep at all. He could not be certain of the time, seeing as he was underground, but judging by the light filtering in through the hatch he guessed it was morning. His thoughts of the previous night had made sleep very difficult, as images of his lost friends had past through his mind continuously. The most annoying part of the whole thing was his continued inability to come up with a way of bringing them back. This frustrated Naruto to no end, as he would do anything if it meant he could have them all back.

Growling at his own insufficiencies, Naruto turned to the food he had gathered the previous night. His desire to get his friends back was strong, but his desire for food was stronger. As he sat munching on some dried meat his mind once again roamed in search of answers. But his search only brought more questions, irritating him further. Why couldn't he figure this out? What was so hard about finding a way to bring back the people you loved? He should have no problem with this, he had been Hokage after all, hadn't he? It had been so long since that life had ended that Naruto could not be sure. Ultimately it didn't matter what he had been, the past was not going to help him find the answers he was seeking. Despite this, he still had to try.

If he was being honest with himself, there was one option Naruto had thought of, though he was pretty sure it wouldn't work. If he could use the methods Orochimaru had been messing with, maybe there would be a chance. Unfortunately he hadn't learned the jutsus necessary for such an action. There was also the slight problem of him being unwilling to use any jutsu Orochimaru used. True, the Snake Lord had helped battle the Har'nal and proved he was capable of thinking of someone other than himself, but Naruto could not ignore the horrible things his old enemy had done in the past. So that option was out, but there had to be others. As Naruto began, once again to think, he thought of Sakura, and what she would have done to him for even thinking about using Orochimaru's tactics. He chuckled to himself, knowing she would probably kick his ass.

At that same moment, almost as if Naruto's thoughts were calling out to her, Sakura Haruno emerged from her hiding place beneath the ruins of the Tenchi Bridge. She paused for a moment, glancing around her to make sure the coast were clear. After assuring that there were no enemies close by she climbed up the cliff and set foot on the crumbling ruins of the bridge. The bridge was one of the few landmarks that had not been destroyed by the Har'nal, it's destruction had been caused by Naruto, when he had lost control and unleashed the kyuubi's chakra during a fight with Orochimaru. Sakura sighed as she remembered that day. It had been their first mission with Sai and Yamato and at the end of it they had seen Sasuke again. At that point Sakura had never dreamed that she would get Sasuke back for good, but she had, if only for a few years.

Sakura pushed the images of Sasuke out of her mind. She could not afford to let herself think about him, for if she did her mind would shut down from the pain. Like Naruto, it was hunger that drove Sakura from her hideout. She kept her eyes peeled as she made her way into the surrounding forest in search of berries. The Har'nal did not patrol this area much, but she still had to careful, there was no telling when they might show up. Sakura wished, as she always did when she left her hideout, that she had belonged to the Hyuga clan, as their Byakugan eyes would be very helpful in this situation.

At the very least she wished Neji or Hinata was with her.

After a short search, Sakura found the berries she was looking for. She gathered as many as she could carry and headed back to her hideout. After scanning the area one last time, she climbed back down the cliff. Her hideout was situated about halfway between the bridge and the bottom of the ravine it crossed. Sakura had built a complex system of pulleys and ropes to aid her in climbing and had dug the hideout out with her bare hands. It was not the most comfortable or luxurious place to live, but it was better than living in the woods with no cover. She had built this place after waking up here, lying on the twisted remains of the bridge. She had no idea how she had ended up at the Tenchi Bridge. The last thing she remembered before waking up was Naruto releasing the chakra of the kyuubi after Sasuke had just been killed by a Har'nal warrior.

Sakura had no idea how she had survived the blast. From what she knew of the kyuubi, that amount of it's chakra being released as it had should have killed everything in the area. But somehow she had survived. It was unlikely that the others had, so it seemed she was the only Shinobi left. But Sakura still held hope that at least one of them had survived. Perhaps Kakashi had managed to avoid the blast. It was unlikely, but if anyone could do it, it would be him.

Hours later, as Sakura watched the sun dip below the horizon, her former sensei Kakashi Hatake emerged from his hiding place in the Valley of the End. He glanced darkly at the other end of the valley where the massive Har'nal religious temple stood. Living this close to the enemy made Kakashi very uneasy, but he had little choice. There was, after all, no place left where he could live without risking contact with the Har'nal. He stared at the temple a moment longer before leaping down to the valley floor. Unlike Naruto and Sakura, it was not hunger that drew Kakashi out, it was his nightly patrol of the valley that did this. He moved swiftly and silently along the valley, ever watchful for Har'nal patrols.

After sweeping the valley on foot, Kakashi headed for his lookout point, high above the temple walls, to observe the enemy. As a trained former ANBU, Kakashi was well versed in the arts of spying and concealment. He had been spending every night for the last ten years watching the Har'nal who tended the temple, trying to discover a pattern he could exploit. Unfortunately, he had been unable to discover any, even after ten years of observation. It seemed the Har'nal did not hold to any strict method of worship and came and went from the temple as they pleased. Still, Kakashi was hopeful that he would pick up on something.

As he sat, his mind drifted momentarily, to the memory of his fellow ANBU Yamato and Sai. _It would be nice to have them with me. _he thought. _Maybe one of them could've picked up on something. Or Sasuke or Shikamaru or Asuma for that matter, any of them would be helpful. _His mind snapped back to the task at hand. It was useless to waste time wishing for friends to come and help. They were gone and Kakashi had accepted that truth. Still, it was hard for him at times to keep his emotions in check, particularly when he thought about his old chunin team. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had meant everything to him. They had been the first and only fresh academy graduates to pass his test on teamwork and he had been proud to call them students and friends. Kakashi could not help thinking that if he hadn't let Naruto unleash the kyuubi's chakra that day he might still have two of them. But it was too late for that, they were gone, he was the only one left, and somehow he had to make the Har'nal pay. Somehow he had to make this cursed life he had been allowed to keep mean something.


	4. The Six Who Survived, pt2

Survivors guilt plays havoc with all who survive devastating tragedies, and few know that better than Shikamaru Nara. Aside from Naruto no one had lost more to the Har'nal than Shikamaru. The master strategist had not only lost his lover, Temari, but he had also lost his parents, his sensei, and his teammates. The loss of Choji had hit Shikamaru particularly hard as the two had been like brothers. Only Naruto and Sasuke had had a tighter friendship. But, despite the pain, the past was the past and like Kakashi, Shikamaru had moved on, at least as far as he could.

Ten years earlier he had awoken in the Forest of Death, his last memory being Naruto unleashing the power of the kyuubi. He had struggled to figure out how he had survived. He did not know much about the kyuubi, but from what Asuma had told him, no one survived a full hit of the demon fox's chakra. So, how then, had he survived? More importantly, had the others survived and if they had where were they? Shikamaru had struggled to find the answers to these questions for the first two years of his isolation, but he had long since given up any hope of figuring any of it out. Smart as he was, this was one puzzle he could just not wrap his head around.

In recent years, Shikamaru had turned to other endeavors. Years ago, before he had been killed, Orochimaru had learned of a time travel device the Har'nal possessed. Shikamaru had remembered this bit of knowledge and had begun spying on the Konoha citadel, figuring it was the most likely location of the device. He had no idea what the device looked like, but he was certain it was in the citadel. If he could just get to it, he could travel back in time and set things right. The only problem was, without someone to watch his back he would never make it out of the citadel alive. Still, Shikamaru was determined to find a way in that would both keep his head attached to his shoulders and allow him to find the device.

If only he had someone like Neji to help him out. Yes, Neji would be perfect for such a mission. But as Shikamaru thought this, he knew it would never happen. He had no way of knowing if Neji had survived the blast, and even if he had, the chances he was still alive after ten years were very slim. The only reason Shikamaru was still alive was because the Har'nal never came out here. Growing depressed as he watched his plan crumble before him, Shikamaru turned away from his viewpoint on the outskirts of the Konoha ruins and headed back to his hideout. After digging around for a moment he lit a cigarette and sat, brooding over his inability to put his genius to use.

At that same moment, somewhere in the barren Land of Wind, in the ruins of Suna Neji Hyuga emerged from his hiding place beneath the village of sand. The last of the Hyuga activated his Byakugan and glanced around him. There were only around a hundred and fifty Har'nal in the Suna citadel, but Neji still preferred to avoid them. After scanning the area twice, Neji concluded there were no immediate threats. This was good, as he was running low on water and needed to gather more. This was especially important as he was not alone. Three years after waking up half buried in the sand, he had found a young girl who was obviously a native of the sand. Her name was Yuki and she was obviously a ninja, or at least a ninja in training. She had been born four years before the fall of Suna and was around twelve or thirteen. Neji had taken her under his wing and the two were now virtually inseparable.

Neji made his way out across the barren, parched landscape, heading for the one source of water he knew the Har'nal would never find. Gaara had shown it to him, years before the war and it was hidden by a powerful protection jutsu that even the Har'nal would not be able to break. As he walk, Neji thought about the people he had lost in the war. Of greatest sorrow for him was Tenten, who he had grown very close to during their many years as teammates. He also terribly missed Hinata, who may well have been his sister, considering their fathers had been identical twins. As always, the memory of Hinata forced Neji to remember that he was the last living member of his clan. There was a time when that fact would have made him laugh, the knowledge that a member of the Hyuga branch house had outlived the main house, but no longer. Neji had long since buried the hatchet with the main house and recognized that main or branch they were all Hyuga first.

"Is this what it was like for you Sasuke?" Neji muttered, as he hauled two bucket loads of water up from the well. He often wondered these days if this was how Sasuke had felt, back when he had believed he was the last Uchiha, or when he actually had become the last Uchiha after Itachi had died in the war. He had never believed he would be the last Hyuga and it was far less satisfying than he had thought it would be. Truthfully, he had thought Hinata would be the last of their clan to fall, but fate had had other plans. Regardless of how things had turned out, it didn't matter now. Hinata was gone and there was nothing Neji could do about it.

He made his way back to the sewers of Suna, where he and Yuki lived, scanning the area one last time before entering. "Yuki, I'm back." he called, setting the buckets of water down by the door. Yuki appeared next to him, smiling when she saw the water.

"Hello Neji-san." she said, bowing. "Could I have have some water please?"

"Yes." Neji replied. "And what have I told you about formality?" He cocked an eyebrow as she stared at him.

"That it is not necessary because we are the only ones here." Yuki replied, taking a sip of water. Neji nodded. "I'm sorry Neji-san." Yuki continued. "I can't help it, I just have to be polite. And I also have another question, are we ever going to go to the leaf?"

Neji paused, he had totally forgotten about his plans to return to the ruins of Konoha. "Uh, yes, someday." he replied, without looking at Yuki. Someday, that was all he could promise for now. Until he was sure there was a safe way to do it, they would not be going anywhere.

Neji was not the only one with return plans on his mind. Anko Mitirashi was also itching to get back to Konoha, but she too was hindered by the danger of the Har'nal. It was unlike her to hide away from a challenge, but she had seen first hand what the Har'nal were capable of and she did not want to end up like so many others. If this was any other enemy Anko would be more than willing to face it in battle, but her instincts told her to stay put. So she would wait and hope that the perfect opportunity presented itself before she went stir crazy. Or at least before she went anymore stir crazy than she already was.

Living in the ruins of an old Akatsuki hideout for ten years can have that effect on a person. And this was not just any Akatsuki hideout, this was the hideout that Deidara and Sasori had brought Gaara to after they had kidnapped him. It was bad enough that the Akatsuki had used this cave as a base, but to know what they had done to Gaara here made Anko want to vomit. She, like any person with half a brain, had never liked the Akatsuki, that is, until they joined forces with the hidden villages to combat the Har'nal. Still, living in their old base was unnerving.

In times past, Anko may have been a good fit for the criminal organization who's base she now called home. She had never been entirely sane, a result of being one of Orochimaru's experiments, and insanity seemed to be a prerequisite for joining Akatsuki. Orochimaru himself had once been a member, before moving on to bigger things. But Anko had stronger ties to her village than they did and she would never have willingly joined the group. Not that it mattered now, as they had all been killed by the Har'nal. Despite her mistrust of them, Anko found herself missing them from time to time, especially Tobi, even though she knew he was actually Madara Uchiha.

Anko's life since the war had ended had been rather uneventful. While she missed the others terribly, there was no one in particular she had lost. The people she had been closest to had been Kurenai and Iruka, but she had not been involved romantically with either of them, as Kurenai had been with Asuma and Iruka had not been interested in that kind of relationship. Still Anko missed them, and it was because of this that she wanted to return to Konoha. After much internal debate, she finally decided to go. Waiting until the cover of darkness, Anko made her move. Assuming everything went okay, she would be back in what was left of Konoha in three days time.


	5. The Joining of the Six, pt1

Anko crept out of her hiding place as soon as the sun set. She glanced around, her keenly trained senses straining for any sign of other life, but she seemed to be the only one there. That was, of course, favorable as running into a Har'nal patrol would mean capture or death. _No, it would just mean death, _Anko corrected herself. The Har'nal were not known for taking prisoners, and a fully trained ninja like Anko had no chance of becoming a prisoner. She was a "leader of enemy resistance" and would be killed on sight. Truth be told, Anko could probably handle a small patrol just fine, especially since she would have the element of surprise, for as far as the Har'nal knew, she was already dead. But the Har'nal didn't seem to patrol in small numbers, and even if they did Anko still preferred to avoid them at all costs.

Once she was certain the coast was clear, Anko swiftly made her way across the open space in front of the hideout and into the shelter of the trees. For a second time she paused to check her surroundings, making sure there were not any Har'nal hiding in the underbrush. Again, it was almost immediately apparent she was alone. Anko sighed before continuing, something about the lack of Har'nal in the area made her feel uneasy. The chilling stillness of the air gave Anko the impression the entire forest was holding its breath, almost as if all life was just waiting for something bad to happen. It was the same chilling calm that had hung in the air in the days before the siege of Konoha, the expectation of the inevitable end. Anko shivered as the memories of those horrific final days passed through her mind, reminding her of all she had lost. The siege had been the most horrific thing Anko had ever experienced, even worse than the experiments she had endured at the hands of Orochimaru. The amount death she had seen in the nearly two months the village had held out still made her retch. The memories were made even worse by the knowledge that it was during the siege she had lost Iruka, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune, among others.

Anko pushed the memories from her mind, swallowing hard to stop herself from puking. She could not allow herself to be consumed by the past, least of all now while she was trying to make it back to the vary place she feared to remember. For the rest of the night, Anko moved without thinking, save for the awareness of her surroundings. As dawn approached, her pace began to slow as daylight meant increased chances of being spotted and it was much easier for Anko to be sneaky at slower speeds. She paused for a moment, drinking in the cool forest air, testing it for any scents that would give the enemy away. But still, there was nothing, no Har'nal, no human, nothing. It was almost as if this forest was suddenly void of life, other than Anko herself. Another shiver crawled up her spine as this thought occurred to her. Could it be possible, was there actually a chance she was the only living creature in this forest? Were the Har'nal even capable of that? No, that couldn't be right, if Anko had learned anything from the Har'nal other than brutality, it was their utter unwillingness to destroy nature without provocation. So why was the forest so silent and still? If there was life here, there should be some noise at least, or at least that what's Anko had always believed. Perhaps the silence was simply another product of the new, darker world the Har'nal had made after the war. Anko had no answers for her questions and she supposed it didn't matter, at least the Har'nal weren't attacking her.

Anko made her way towards the ruins of the Tenchi Bridge, which she knew she would have to cross to back to Konoha. She still hadn't quite figured out how she was going to cross the bridge, given that it was a ruin, but she was sure she would find a way. As she walked, Anko's mind began to wander once again, drifting back to the years before the war. She smiled to herself as the memory of her first meeting with Naruto floated into her mind. The memories floated in and out of Anko's mind, twisting and intertwining, until they became a brilliant mosaic of color, and Anko was unable to tell one memory from another. And then something happened that Anko knew was not part of her memories, she heard a click like that of a trap being sprung.

Anko froze for a half second and then dove forward, narrowly avoiding the kunai that shot out of the tree to her right. She hit the ground and rolled, only to hear another click as another trap was sprung. She grunted in pain as another kunai buried itself in her right shoulder, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming. As she reached to pull the kunai out, a third blade flew out of nowhere. Anko rolled again, narrowly avoiding this attack as well. She could not understand why the taps were rigged with kunai, the Har'nal did not use ninja weapons. Unless these traps weren't Har'nal, but that was impossible, all the people who had been left after the war were now in Har'nal captivity and even if a few had managed to escape they would have been hunted down within hours. Anko glanced around, checking for more traps, before pulling the kunai from he shoulder. She stood, her right hand balling into a fist around the kunai as she did. She was not sure who it was, but someone had set these traps and she intended to find out who.

Anko cautiously made her way forward, flexing her fingers on the kunai as she did. She could feel the blood as it ran down her arm and dripped off the tips of her fingers, but there was not as much pain as she had expected. As she made her way forward, Anko realized, with a sudden shock where she was, through the underbrush she could see the red arch that marked the entrance of the Tenchi Bridge. She paused for a moment, realizing there was something different about the bridge, someone had built a system of ropes and pulleys off one side. Someone was living here and she had to find out who. She shifted to move, another click making her freeze again. Anko heard a swishing sound and spun just in time to see three large blades come swinging down from a tree.

"Shit." Anko muttered, before diving to the side, feeling the sting as one of the blades grazed her right thigh. A second later, she was knocked to the ground by a clubbing blow, before hands closed around her throat.

"Who are you? What are doing here?" a distinctly familiar voice asked.

"My name is Anko Mitirashi of Konoha." Anko gasped, as the hands squeezed tighter.

"Anko?" the voice asked, as the hands suddenly relinquished their grip. "Anko, is it really you?" the voice asked. Anko nodded, coughing and looked up, her eyes finding the face of Sakura Haruno, who was staring at her with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

"Yeah, it's me Sakura." Anko replied, equally surprised and suspicious.

"How-how is this possible?" Sakura asked, tears welling up in her eyes. Anko simply stared, she had know idea how or why she was alive, let alone how Sakura was.

"I-I'm not really sure." she admitted. For a moment they simply stood there staring at one another and then, without really thinking about it, they embraced their joy at finding another survivor overcoming any suspicions. After a moment they broke apart, Anko flinching as pain shot through her injured shoulder.

"Here, let me fix that for you." Sakura said, a small smile crossing her face. Anko nodded and smiled back, glad to have someone other than herself to talk to.

"So, you survived the blast huh?" Anko asked, as Sakura went to work on her shoulder.

"Yeah, but I have no idea how." Sakura replied. "It doesn't make any sense, no should have survived that blast. I've seen the kyuubi's chakra before and this was unlike anything Naruto had ever done before."

"Yeah, I don't know." said Anko. "I don't know enough about the kyuubi to know if there was something it could have done to spare us. All I know is I woke up in the ruins of one of the old Akatsuki hideouts and that's where I've been for the last ten years. I'm guessing you woke up here?"

"Yeah." Sakura replied. "The Tenchi Bridge, not exactly where I wanted to spend the rest of my life, but not much choice now."

"You could always go back to Konoha." said Anko. "That's what I'm doing."

"Konoha." Sakura said, as she stared at the ground. "I've never given much thought to returning there. It's a Har'nal citadel now and I don't know if I can deal with the pain of seeing our home as a pile of rubble."

"Well, you don't have to make up your mind now, just something to think about." said Anko. "But I think it would be nice to see Konoha again, even if it is just ruins now." Sakura did not respond, she was still to shocked and overjoyed at finding out Anko was still alive, that she didn't know how to think about anything else at the moment.

Later that day, Anko and Sakura sat on the remnants of the bridge and watched the sun set, musing about the life they once had. After a few moments of listening to Anko talk, Sakura broke in with a question. "Do you think the others are still alive?" She glanced at Anko, who's eyes had suddenly gone dark.

"I don't know Sakura." she replied. "If you and I survived, than it is possible that Naruto, Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Neji did too, but as you said earlier no one should have survived that blast, so we may have too-" She stopped as a sudden crash in the forest behind them made them both jump. A second later, four Har'nal warriors burst through the trees, murder in their eyes.

**A/N: Well, here we are, finally past all the introductory shit, I hope. The story should pick up pace from here, but I should warn you shit is going to get a little weird. This is the first part of a three part arc the will finally get the six back together in Konoha so I can begin moving towards the time travel stuff. Sorry it took so long to update, and thanks for sticking with me through the long passages of no dialogue.**


	6. The Joining of the Six, pt2

Neji paused, activating his Byakugan again as he checked for enemies. Behind him Yuki waited patiently watching his stance intently. After much debate Neji had finally decided it was time for them to leave Suna and at least attempt to make to Konoha. He was keenly aware of the dangers their journey would present, but he had decided there was no point in waiting any longer. It had been ten years since the last time he had laid eyes on his old home and he wished to see it again, even if it was just a pile of rubble with a Har'nal citadel on top. Yuki had nearly exploded with excitement when Neji had told her, for she had never seen the leaf before and had been dying to since before the war had made it unsafe. Of course, it was exactly because of this that Neji was only now venturing forward. He had to be extremely careful about how they traveled, because if they were caught, he would be killed and Yuki would be taken prisoner, thus breaking Neji's promise to her, something he would never allow himself to do.

Thus far, however, they had seen very little in the way of life Har'nal or otherwise. Neji was beginning to wonder if the Land of Wind was completely void of Har'nal, save those who lived in the Suna citadel. But, given what he knew of the invaders this seemed unlikely, there were other Har'nal here, Neji just couldn't see them at the moment. Still, he would check every hour or so just to make sure. After hours of walking in silence the two ninja reached the boarder between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, homeland of Konoha. Neji activated his Byakugan again and scanned the area ahead of them.

"Well, here we are." he said, turning to Yuki who was staring in wide eyed wonder at what lay before them. "The Land of Fire, my home country." Neji continued, smiling at Yuki's excitement.

"I-I can't believe it Neji-san." said Yuki, tears falling down her cheeks. "I have wanted to come here for so long, ever since Lord Gaara first told me when I was little. I never thought I would have a chance to come, but..." She trailed off, her emotions getting the better of her.

Neji watched her silently, letting her absorb the moment. He knew exactly how she felt, wanting something and not knowing if you'd get it. It was the same feeling he had had since the end of the war, a desire to find a way to set things right, to make the world better again. Unfortunately, he had no way of fulfilling his desire, as Neji knew of no way to travel back in time.

"Neji-san?" Yuki asked, bringing Neji out of his reverie. He looked at her, finding a smile on her face. "Neji-san, may we continue?"

Neji smiled. "Yes Yuki, lets get going." Yuki's smile widened and they set off again, Neji checking for enemies as they did. For the next few hours they traveled in silence, the still air of the forest pressing in around them. Yuki skipped ahead of Neji, her excitement drawing her forward, completely blissful and unaware. Suddenly, Neji froze reaching out and grabbing Yuki as he did. He pulled her back into the shelter of the trees and activated his Byakugan.

"What is it Neji-san?" Yuki asked, giving him a puzzled look.

"Shhh, listen." Neji whispered. Yuki fell silent, her ears straining to hear what Neji was listening for. After a few seconds of listening, she heard it, the sounds of a battle. She looked at Neji, who was focused on finding the source of the commotion.

"Is that what I think it is, Neji-san?" Yuki asked, staring at her mentor.

"A battle, yes." Neji replied. "Though I don't know who would be fighting out here. Let's get closer, if it's escaped prisoners they could use our help." Yuki nodded and they cautiously moved forward, Neji's eyes widening as they got closer.

Meanwhile, a short distance away at the Tenchi Bridge, Sakura and Anko found themselves in a very unpleasant situation. The four Har'nal warriors had caught them completely off guard and they had their backs up against the edge of a cliff. Sakura had managed to take one of the warriors down, but the other three were still very much alive and combative. It occurred to Sakura as she dodged a blow, that everything about this situation sucked. She had just found out Anko was still alive and now it looked like they were both going to die. _Well, if that's the case,_ Sakura thought, _then at least I'll try and take these bastards with us._

No sooner had she thought this when four more Har'nal warriors burst out of the forest.

"Shit." Anko shouted, as she dodged a blow from one of the new arrivals. "Sakura, you got any more ideas." Sakura shook her head and Anko cursed again. "Well, at least we won't die alone." she muttered, with a glance at Sakura who smiled.

Just then, two of the warriors dropped to the ground as something shot passed them. A second later Neji appeared in front of Sakura and Anko, making both of them scream. For a moment the warriors simply stood there, staring at Neji and then they charged. Neji leaped over the first, catching the next two with paralyzing strikes of the 64 Palms. The fourth warrior caught him by the front of his shirt and threw him against a tree. Neji quickly shook off the blow, dodging another as he slid between the warrior's legs. As he popped up on the other side he caught the warrior with a kick to the small of the back, sending him sprawling. The final two warriors froze, taken aback by this ninjas skills. It was the perfect opening and Neji took full advantage, hitting them both with paralyzing strikes. However, the fight wasn't finished, as the first two warriors were back on their feet, and the others were beginning to stir.

Neji sighed and moved to attack, using one warrior as brace to send the other over the edge of the cliff with a kick. The other warriors charged, but Neji used his momentum to dodge sending all but the warrior he was holding onto and one other over the edge as well. The warrior in his grasp jerked Neji off the ground and flung him at the girls. Anko caught him, while Sakura leaped, catching the warrior with a punch in the face, throwing him over the edge. The final warrior closed in, but before he had a chance to attack Yuki dropped out of a tree onto his shoulders, plunging a kunai into his eye as she did. The warrior screamed in pain and collapsed, Yuki rolling away from his body, springing up to her feet a few feet away.

With the fight now over, Anko and Sakura had time to process what they had seen. Neither of them had expected this and they were both in a bit of shock at finding another of their friends was still alive. "Neji?" Sakura asked. "Is it really you?"

Neji nodded and Sakura smiled. Anko shook her head to make sure she wasn't dreaming and then she smiled too. For a moment they all just stared at one another before Anko noticed Yuki.

"Who's the girl?" she asked, glancing at Neji.

"Her name is Yuki." Neji replied. "I found her in Suna after the war."

"So you ended up in Suna after the blast huh?" Anko asked.

"Yes." Neji replied. "I woke up near the hidden well Gaara used during the war and made my way into the tunnels beneath the village. That's where I found Yuki. Her parents were killed in the war and she had been living down there alone for several months before I showed up."

"I thought the Har'nal swept Suna clean after the siege." said Sakura. "How did she manage to go undetected for so long?"

"The Har'nal never discovered the tunnels." Yuki replied, with a smile. Sakura nodded and smiled back, glad to have more companions.

"Yuki, this is Sakura Haruno and Anko Mitirashi, both of Konoha." Neji said, introducing her to the other two. Yuki smiled and nodded.

"So what are you two doing here?" Anko asked.

"Well, we're headed to Konoha, you're welcome to join us." said Neji.

"That's good, because we were headed that way too." said Anko. Neji nodded and they set off, leaving the Tenchi Bridge behind, hopefully for good.

Meanwhile, miles ahead of them at their destination, Naruto emerged from his hiding place in search of food once again. He sighed as he made his way down the street, his senses ever alert for the signs of an attack. As he rounded the corner a muffled crack made him freeze. "Damn it." he muttered. Silently, Naruto slid his hand into his pocket, drawing a kunai and turning to face whatever was stalking him. The sight that met his eyes was not the one he had expected. Instead of finding himself face to face with a Har'nal patrol, Naruto found himself staring at a man he had long thought dead, his master strategist, Shikamaru Nara.


	7. The Joining of the Six, pt3

"S-Shikamaru?" Naruto spluttered, staring in disbelief at the last surviving member of the Nara clan. "You're alive?"

Shikamaru simply stared at Naruto, a slight smile playing about the corners of his mouth.

"How?" Naruto asked. "How is this possible? No one survives the kyuubi's chakra, I don't even know how I did it, so how are you still alive?" He stared at Shikamaru for another moment, before a thought occurred to him, how did he know this man was actually Shikamaru? He had seen nothing, other than the physical body in front of him, to prove that this was actually who he thought it was, and the Har'nal could fake that. Naruto had seen them do it during the war, special Har'nal sorcerers who could take the form other people. He had fallen for that trick then, but not now, ten years of isolation had taught him to be better prepared for Har'nal treachery.

"You're not really Shikamaru, are you?" Naruto asked, watching the other closely.

"But I am Shikamaru." Shikamaru answered, speaking for the first time.

"Prove it." Naruto growled, though he was suddenly unsure if his previous assumptions were correct. He certainly sounded like Shikamaru, and if Naruto's memory served, the Har'nal were not adept at mimicking voices.

"Prove it, huh?" Shikamaru asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Seriously Naruto, have you really forgotten that much in ten years?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked, his temper beginning to rise.

"Don't you remember? I don't like proving myself in physical manner, it's too troublesome." Shikamaru answered, watching Naruto closely.

Naruto stared at him, letting those words sink in. After a moment of processing he grinned, this was indeed Shikamaru Nara as only he would give such an answer. As this realization washed over him, Naruto fell to his knees, tears beginning to fall. He wasn't the only one left, someone else had survived, and if Shikamaru had been able to survive the blast, than surely Kakashi, Sakura, Anko, and Neji had too. However, his sudden burst of happiness was quickly pushed aside as another thought occurred to him.

"Hold on, if you've been alive this whole time, where the hell have you been for the last ten years?" Naruto asked, giving Shikamaru a dark look.

"I've been living in the Forest of Death." Shikamaru answered. "And before you ask your next question, I didn't come looking for you because I thought you were dead. You can understand why, I assume?"

Naruto nodded. It was true, after all. He had thought he was the only one left, so it was perfectly reasonable to to assume that Shikamaru would have thought the same thing. Still, he could not help feeling a little frustrated. For so long he had operated with the belief that he was the only survivor of the war and that the final deaths had been his fault, only now to find that he had not been quite as alone as he had thought. Under normal circumstances he would have been a bit more annoyed, but he was too happy at the moment to let his frustration take over.

"Well, we should probably get out of the street." Shikamaru suggested, glancing at Naruto.

"Yeah, c'mon I've got a place down in the sewers." said Naruto. Shikamaru glanced at him again, slightly disgusted by Naruto's choice of a living space. Naruto noticed this and rolled his eyes. "Come on Shika, it's not that bad." he muttered. "I'm not living in filth or anything."

Shikamaru shrugged and they headed towards Naruto's hideout, arriving a few minutes later to find the hatch open. "Shit." Naruto growled. "Those bastards found my hiding place." He glanced at Shikamaru, who did not return his look.

Naruto drew his kunai again and prepared to drop in in the Har'nal who were ransacking his home. However, just as he was about to drop in a kunai shot out of the opening of the hatch, making him leap backwards. "What the hell?" he shouted, confused by this turn of events. Since when had the Har'nal used kunai as a weapon? He looked at Shikamaru again, who was smiling, apparently greatly amused by Naruto's shock.

"You wanna help me out here?" Naruto growled, glaring at the strategist. Shikamaru shrugged, his smile widening.

"There is no need for me to help." he said, his eyes darting to the hatch.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto shouted. "Do you want me to get killed?"

"No one in that hideout is going to kill you Naruto." said Shikamaru, his smile growing wider still. Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but Shikamaru ignored him as he knelt next to the opening of the hatch. "You may as well come on out, I don't think he's going to get it."

There was a chuckle from inside the hideout and then a man emerged, Naruto's eyes going wide as he realized what he was seeing. Shikamaru smiled and glanced from Naruto to their new companion. "Hello Kakashi," he said, "long time, no see."

Kakashi nodded and turned his attention to Naruto, who was staring at him in utter disbelief. "Hello Naruto." said Kakashi. "Been a while."

"How-what-you-you-you're alive too?" Naruto spluttered, staring at his old sensei.

"I most certainly am." Kakashi replied, with a chuckle.

"Where the hell have you been this whole time then?" Naruto asked, his disbelief giving way to annoyance.

"The Valley of the End." Kakashi replied, his expression suddenly serious. Naruto hung his head, all of his annoyance evaporating. The Valley of the End had belonged to the Uchiha clan before the war and it had been the place he had fought Sasuke when the latter left Konoha. To learn that Kakashi had spent the last ten years living there made Naruto feel sick, as it was the place that marked the breaking of Team 7, the team to which they had belonged before the war.

"I'm sorry." Naruto said, looking at his sensei, guilt in his eyes. "It's my fault that you ended up there."

"Don't worry about it Naruto, those days are behind us." said Kakashi.

Naruto nodded and then another thought occurred to him. "It was a trick." he growled. "You two got together and came up with a plan to fool me, didn't you? That's why you knew Kakashi was in my hideout, right?" He looked at Shikamaru, who grinned.

"We wanted to surprise you." Kakashi said, slugging Naruto in the shoulder.

"And you didn't think just showing up would be surprise enough?" Naruto asked. Kakashi shrugged, and Naruto glared at him before descending into his hideout. Kakashi glanced at Shikamaru, who also shrugged and then they followed Naruto.

The following day, Sakura, Anko, Neji, and Yuki arrived at the outskirts of Konoha. For a moment they simply stared at the ruins and the massive black citadel that sat on top of them, trying to process the horror that their former home had become.

"It's so much worse than I remember it." Sakura whispered, tears falling down her cheeks.

"The citadel makes it a hundred times worse." Anko muttered. "Why did we come back here again?" She glanced at the others, none of whom had an answer.

At that moment they heard what sounded like a door being opened. All four of them tensed, Neji activating his Byakugan.

"You see anything Neji?" Anko asked, glancing at him as she drew a kunai. Neji nodded and Anko tightened her grip on her kunai, ready for whatever was lurking inside the ruins. At that moment Naruto popped up onto a pile of rubble, Kakashi and Shikamaru appearing next to him. For a moment the two groups stared at one another and then Sakura rushed forward, tears in her eyes.

"NARUTO!" she screamed, ignoring the danger of being heard by Har'nal.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Sakura-chan, you're alive!" He too rushed forward and the two embraced seconds later, Naruto squeezing Sakura tightly.

"N-Naruto, c-can't breath." Sakura gasped. Realizing he was suffocating her, Naruto loosened his grip and held Sakura out at arms length to get a better look at her. She looked exactly as he remembered, the bright pink hair, the brilliant green eyes, it was all the same. For a moment, they stood and stared at each other before remembering about the others, who had gathered around them.

"Well, this is a most pleasant surprise." said Neji, with a smile.

"I think that's an understatement, my friend." said Shikamaru, a smile on his face as well. The others exchanged greetings, the shock of the reunion dissolving.

A short time later, the seven of them were crammed into Naruto's hideout, exchanging stories of the last ten years. Naruto sat in silence, watching his friends talk, glad to have them back. It was a far-cry from the old days, before the war, when he had Hinata, Sasuke, Jiraiya, Iruka, and everyone else to hang out with, but at least he had a few of them back, and he could finally salve some of the guilt he had been carrying for the last ten years.


	8. A Way to Change the Past

Naruto awoke the following morning to find his hideout empty. He glanced around, looking for any sign of the others, but he appeared to be the only one there. "Damn it!" he growled. "It was all just a dream." He sank down to his knees in despair, fighting to hold back the scream rising in his chest. He had been so certain that they had been there, that his years of loneliness were over that he had never paused to consider that it was all in his head. But it had been a dream, there was no one else here, he was alone and he always would be.

Just as this revelation hit him, Sakura poked her head in through the hatch, making Naruto jump. "Hey Naruto, are you awake yet?" Sakura asked.

Naruto shook his head and blinked. "No, I'm not." he muttered, glancing at her to make sure she was still there.

"Well get up." Sakura ordered. "We've got things to talk about."

"Don't want to get up." Naruto muttered, with another glance at her.

"What?" Sakura asked. "Why not?" She glanced at Naruto and dropped into the hideout. "Why don't you want to get up?"

"Because if I do, you'll disappear." said Naruto, not looking at her this time.

"What do you mean I'll disappear?" Sakura asked, concern in her voice. "Naruto what are you talking about?"

"You're not real." Naruto muttered, still not looking at her. "You died ten years ago and you're just a figment of my imagination. I thought I had gotten you back, but I didn't, it's all just a dream. Or a nightmare, I'm not sure which."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, processing his words, before she started to laugh. "Oh Naruto, you really are such a gullible fool."

Naruto stared at her, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he growled.

"Naruto, I'm real, I'm alive." Sakura said, looking him directly in the eye. "You're not dreaming, you're not trapped in a genjutsu, this is real."

Naruto blinked, processing her words and then he started to laugh too. Sakura looked at him, taken aback by his reaction. Before she could respond, however, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Neji, Anko and Yuki dropped in.

"What's wrong with him?" Yuki asked, glancing at Sakura.

"I think he's finally lost his mind." Anko said, before Sakura could answer.

"Well, it's not like he had much of a mind to lose." said Shikamaru.

"Hey, I resent that." Naruto snapped, his hysterical laughter abruptly cutting off. "I was Hokage once, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." Shikamaru muttered. "It was only a joke."

"So you actually crack jokes now?" Naruto asked, with a skeptical look. "I still think this is a dream. I don't remember Shikamaru cracking jokes."

"To be fair, you never did have that great of a memory." said Neji, with a slight grin.

"Oh, so you're a funny man now too, huh Neji?" Naruto asked, giving Neji a dark look. Neji just shrugged, his grin growing ever so slightly.

"Okay, so it's not a dream." said Naruto. "That still doesn't explain why it took you all so damn long to reveal yourselves. It's been ten years, where the hell have you all been?"

"Hiding from the Har'nal mostly." Anko replied. "I was in one of Akatsuki's old hideouts, the one they took Gaara to, in fact." Naruto's expression darkened at the mention of that hideout. He had made his peace with Akatsuki during the war, but it still made him sick to think about what they had done to Gaara, what they had been planning to do to him. They had proven to be valuable allies during the war, but Naruto knew he would never consider Pain, Konan, Madara, Sasori, Deidara, Itachi, Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, or Zetsu friends. They had done to much evil for him to ever fully trust them.

Sakura could sense the anger growing in her friend and moved to calm him. "I've been living under the Tenchi Bridge." she said, bringing Naruto back to the moment.

"And I was in Suna." said Neji. "It's been turned into a citadel too."

Naruto sighed. "Damn these Har'nal bastards, they're worse than Orochimaru and Akatsuki combined." He paused and glanced around the room before continuing. "So, you all have been living scattered around the remnants of our world and you never once thought to come back here, until now?"

"It's not like it was exactly easy." said Anko. "Have you been outside of Konoha at all in the last ten years?"

Naruto stared at her. "I don't see how that's relevant." he muttered.

"It's relevant," said Kakashi, "because the world we once knew is now crawling with Har'nal, and their presence makes it very difficult to move around."

"You all made it here easy enough, didn't you?" Naruto asked, casting a disbelieving look at his old sensei.

"Yes, but that was only after ten years of observation and planning." said Neji.

"Yeah, well I still think you could have done it sooner." Naruto muttered. "Sasuke and Hinata wouldn't have waited ten years."

"Don't do that Naruto." said Sakura. "You're not the only one who misses them and you're not the only one who lost someone during the war, we all did. Don't pretend that you're better than us just because you lost more. We've all been alone for ten years and we all wished someone else would somehow have survived."

Naruto hung his head, ashamed by his actions and words. He knew that he wasn't the only one who had lost something and he knew how much everyone else had meant to the other survivors. He had no excuse for his behavior, he had been Hokage and he should know better than to treat people like that. What would Jiraiya have said if he was alive today?

"I'm sorry." he said, looking around the room. "I didn't mean those things and I am glad you all are here. It's just, I miss them so much and I would do anything to get them all back."

Shikamaru smiled at these words, as he suddenly remembered something he had meant to mention earlier. Kakashi noticed this and asked, "You got something you want to say Shikamaru?"

"I do actually." said Shikamaru. "I think I may know of a way to change the past and get our friends back."

"I'm not sure I follow you." said Neji. "You say there's a possible way to get them all back, but how is that possible?"

Shikamaru smiled. "You remember that secret mission Yamato and Sai went on just before the siege of Suna began?" he asked. "The one where they uncovered information about a device the Har'nal had?"

"Yeah, but that information proved to be faulty." said Anko. "The device didn't actually exist, it was just a rumor."

"The thing is, that device is actually more real than we thought." said Shikamaru, with another smile. "Sai and Yamato found the plans and Yamato passed them to me before he died. It's not just a rumor, the Har'nal time travel device exists and I think I know where it is."

"Hold on, back up a minute." said Naruto. "Your telling us that the time travel device that we tried to find for months is actually real?" Shikamaru nodded.

"Okay, so where is it then?" Anko asked, a disbelieving look on her face.

"Here, in Konoha." said Shikamaru, his smile widening. "This citadel is the largest in the empire, the center of the Har'nal world. It makes sense that they would keep their most powerful tool hidden here."

"If that's true, how the hell are we supposed to get it?" Naruto asked. "We can't exactly waltz into the citadel and ask for it."

"You're right, but I think I have a plan that will get us in and out without detection." said Shikamaru.

"Okay, that's all fine and good." said Anko. "But once we're inside, how are we gonna get the device? I doubt it's going to be sitting out in plain sight."

"There is a room at the very center of the citadel, where the device is kept." said Shikamaru. "I know this because the plans for the device that Yamato gave me also contain plans for the citadel, which had yet to be built at that point. If we can get our hands on that device, we can send someone back in time, and, with any luck, prevent the war from ever happening."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." said Naruto. "So let's hear this plan of yours."

**A/N: Okay, so I know it's been awhile since I last updated this fic, but there are reasons for that, mainly that I was working on my other fics more than this one. However, now that I actually know where I want to go with this fic, I should start updating it with more regularity. Again, sorry for the wait, hope you didn't go crazy with anticipation or whatever.**


	9. The Citadel

"So, here is the central room where the device is most likely to be kept." Shikamaru said, pointing to the very center of the blue-print of the Konoha citadel. "As you can see, it is located directly below the Har'nal High Ruler's chambers, and it will not be easy to get to. But, I think that my plan can get us in without too much trouble."

"And how exactly do you plan on getting around any warriors who may be stationed in there?" Anko asked, her tone skeptical. It had only been a few minutes since Shikamaru had revealed his knowledge about the device and Anko was still not convinced it was worth the risk. The others seemed to be on board with Shikamaru's plan, but Anko could not bring herself to believe it was worth their lives, even if there was a chance the plan would work.

"If we have to, we will fight." Shikamaru replied, staring at Anko intently.

"I don't know, it just doesn't seem worth it to me." Anko said, shrugging.

"Come on Anko, we at least have to try." said Naruto, with a glance at Sakura. "We all understand that there's risk involved, but just think about the reward if we succeed. Don't you want to see Iruka-sensei again? Or Jiraiya? Or old lady Tsunade? We have a chance to get them all back, why are you so unsure about this?"

"Well, for one, we have to deal with the Har'nal." Anko replied. "And last I knew we don't usually do so well against them. And then there's the issue of is this plan actually going to work? Because it seems to me like there's a lot of holes in it."

"You're really gonna question Shikamaru?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "Have you forgotten how good he is at this stuff? Shikamaru Nara is the best strategist this world has ever known and your gonna question his plans. It seems to me like maybe you're a bit more like Orochimaru than you let on." He looked at her, a smile crossing his face as she reacted to his words.

"You dare." Anko breathed, her whole body trembling with fury. "You dare compare me to that snake?"

"Well, he was an untrustworthy bastard and you're acting an awful lot like him." Naruto said, his smile growing. For a moment they stood, staring at one another and then Anko launched herself at Naruto, drawing a kunai in the process. Before she could reach him, Sakura was between them, a hand on each of their chests, holding them back from one another.

"That's enough!" she shouted. "We don't have time for this. Naruto, you had no right speaking to Anko like that and Anko, you need to control your temper and have a little more faith." She let them go and they looked at each other, contempt on both their faces.

Naruto took a deep breath and shook his head. "Alright, I'm sorry for being an ass." he muttered, glancing at Anko.

"And I'm sorry for questioning your judgment." Anko said, with a bow. "I will try to have more faith in Shikamaru's plans from now on." Naruto nodded and turned to Shikamaru, who smiled and nodded.

"Okay, so I think we should split into two teams, and infiltrate the citadel from two sides." said Shikamaru. "We will be able to cover more ground that way, and we will be less likely to be discovered if we are in smaller groups. I propose team one be Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, and team two be myself, Neji, and Anko."

"What about Yuki?" Sakura asked, with a glance at young sand nin.

"I think Yuki should stay here." said Neji.

"But Neji-san, I want to help." Yuki pleaded, looking from him to Sakura and back.

"No." said Neji. "You are not a fully qualified ninja and this mission will be very dangerous. I will not risk your life for matters of the Leaf."

"Weak argument Neji." said Naruto, with a glance at Yuki.

Neji looked at him, his gaze serious. "Naruto, I understand that you think Yuki has just as much of a right to go on this mission as the rest of us, but when I found her I swore to protect her from exactly this kind of thing."

"But you're forgetting one important piece of the puzzle Neji." said Kakashi. "Yuki lost everything to the Har'nal, just as we all did, and if you go into the citadel without her and don't come back out she will have lost you too. Do you really want to put her through that kind of pain again? I understand that you want to keep her safe, but Yuki is old enough to make her own decisions."

Neji stared at him, but did not respond. He knew Kakashi was right, Yuki was old enough to decide for herself and he was not her father. He had no right to hold her back. But he did not want her to have to experience the horrors they would likely encounter in the citadel and he knew he could not stand losing her. Ultimately, however, he could not ignore the facts. Yuki would join them in the citadel no matter what he did, there was no way around it.

"Alright, she can come." he sighed. "But she's going with our team." He glanced at Anko and Shikamaru, who both nodded.

"Okay, we have the teams so, once we're inside we will rendezvous at the central room, retrieve the device and get out. Team one will enter from the east and team two from the west. There are access tunnels that lead into the citadel underground which branch off of the sewer line. We can use those to get in. The blue-prints are fairly accurate on the location of the guard stations located throughout the citadel, though I'm sure there have been changes, so keep your eyes open at all times. Other than that, I think we're good to go. Any questions?" No one spoke and Shikamaru nodded. "Alright, let's go get our way to change the past."

A short time later Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi found themselves inside the Konoha Citadel, having successfully made their way through the access tunnel. They had encountered no resistance and this fact made Naruto more than a little uneasy. He had expected a welcome party, but the tunnel was empty and there were no Har'nal in the large circular room they now stood in. Naruto glanced around the room, finding no sign of imminent danger.

"Huh, I wonder where everyone is." he muttered, glancing at the other two.

"Who knows." Kakashi said. "But I guess it's better than the alternative. At least this way we don't have to fight our way in."

"Yeah, that's nice." Naruto agreed. "So, what now? How do we get to this damn room Shikamaru told us about?"

"I would assume straight ahead." said Sakura, pointing at the wall in front of them. There, almost invisible in the darkness, was a door, made of the same glossy black stone as the rest of the citadel.

"How did you see that?" Naruto asked, with a surprised glance at Sakura. Sakura flashed a grin but did not answer. Naruto rolled his eyes and they made their way forward, pausing just in front of the door. Etched into the stone was an inscription, written in the Har'nal tongue. There was also no handle or any other visible means of opening the door.

"No handle, well that's just great." Naruto muttered, glaring at the door. "How are we supposed to open it without a handle?"

"It's a puzzle, I suspect." said Kakashi. "The only problem is, I don't know what it says. We need Shikamaru to translate it for us, but-"

"He's on the other side of the damn citadel!" Naruto shouted, cutting Kakashi off.

"It says we need a key." Sakura said, another grin crossing her face. Naruto and Kakashi stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded by how quickly she had figured the inscription out.

"When did you learn Har'nal?" Naruto asked. Again Sakura did not answer, she just continued to smile.

Naruto sighed. "Okay, so where the hell are we supposed to look for this key?" he asked.

"Already got it." said Sakura, twirling a large brass key on her finger. Naruto didn't even bother to ask how she had found the key so fast. Sakura was on a roll on this mission and Naruto was not sure he wanted to know why. He didn't really care anyway, all that mattered was that they had their way in. Sakura smiled and walked up to the door. After a moment of silent studying, she pulled out a kunai and slashed the palm of her left hand.

"Whoa, Sakura what are you doing?" Naruto asked, surprised by her actions.

"A sacrifice of blood is needed to reveal the key hole." Sakura said calmly. "Don't worry Naruto, I can seal the wound." With that she slapped her bloody hand to the stone which shuddered as the runes of the inscription began to glow. A moment later a key hole appeared just below Sakura's hand. Sakura smiled and inserted the key, turning it first to the left, then to the right. With a sharp crack the lock popped and the door swung open.

Cautiously, the three stepped across the threshold, Sakura still holding the key. No sooner had they done so and the key vanished from her grip, the door slamming shut behind them. Sakura glanced at the other two and shrugged, the inscription had said nothing about what happened once you passed through the door. She took that moment to quickly heal her hand and then joined the guys in scoping out the room.

They found themselves in a long, desolate corridor which smelled strongly of decay. Naruto choked as the smell flooded his nose and Sakura turned away, gagging as vomit made it's way out of her mouth.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Kakashi asked, placing an arm around her for support.

"Yeah I'm fine." Sakura gasped. "The smell caught me off guard, that's all."

"Why the hell does it smell so bad down here?" Naruto asked, with a disgusted glance at the other two.

"We're underground and it is likely that this is where they dump the bodies of the dead." Kakashi muttered. "The schematics Shikamaru showed us indicated that the cells where the Har'nal keep their prisoners are located down here as well."

"Good, we can bust some people out and they can help us overrun this hell hole." Naruto said, an excited and evil grin lighting up his face.

"Remember what we're here for Naruto." said Kakashi. "We must retrieve the device first, and then, if there is time we can try and free the prisoners."

Naruto nodded and they made there way down the corridor, arriving a short time later at a large set of doors, behind which was the central room where the device was held. "Well, this is it." said Naruto. "Let's go get that device."

"We're supposed to wait for the others." said Sakura, giving him a stern look.

"Yeah, but we're here now." said Naruto. "Who knows if they even made it in to the citadel. We have to take this opportunity while we can." With that, he pushed the huge doors open and entered the central room.

"Naruto wait!" Sakura cried. "We don't know what else is in there." She and Kakashi quickly followed Naruto in, finding the room mysteriously devoid of life. At the very center of the room, resting on top of a large stone pedestal was a metal sphere, which glowed eerily. Naruto made his way to the pedestal and grabbed the device, Sakura and Kakashi right behind him.

"Alright, we got it. Now let's get the hell out of here." said Naruto, a triumphant gleam in his eye. No sooner had these word escaped his mouth when a creak made them freeze. Together they turned, finding their way out blocked by six massive Har'nal warriors, all of whom wore looks of bloodthirsty delight.

**A/N: Okay, I know it's been a little while since I last updated, but I was having some trouble figuring out how I wanted to write this. Anyway, I'm sorry it took so long and I hope you enjoyed it. Also, if you're wondering when the time travel is going to start, don't worry we're almost there. I just have to wrap up a few things and then we'll see what the world was like ten years earlier, before the Har'nal destroyed everything.**


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